Zachary Searls, 27, arrested

VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA – A good Samaritan who stopped to help after witnessing a fiery crash Monday night on I-95 saw his good deed answered by a bad one: One of the crashed drivers stole his truck and took off down the highway.

It wasn’t long before the suspect, 27-year-old Zachary Searls, was in the custody of Volusia County sheriff’s deputies.

A sheriff’s deputy who responded to the crash scene around 8 p.m. met with the victim and immediately issued a countywide alert for the stolen vehicle and suspect.

A records check showed the blue vehicle – a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer — was registered at an address in Daytona Beach. Deputies went to the home to interview the owner. There, they found the stolen truck parked in the driveway.

As deputies approached the vehicle, Searls exited the house and walked toward the truck, but upon seeing the deputies, turned around and retreated into the house. Searls was taken into custody.